FARM YARNS Summer 2011
We would like to acknowledge generous support from the following organisations:
The Collingwood Children’s Farm are proud to acknowledge the Wurundjeri of the Kulin Federation as the traditional owners of the Abbotsford Precinct Heritage Farmlands, the land we respect, care for and farm on behalf of all Victorians. The Farm thanks all Wurundjeri Elders past and present, for their guardianship of these lands.
Farm Patron - Mrs Elizabeth Chernov, Government House
2011-12 Committee of Management Cheryl Cameron (Treas.)
Mikyla Hart
Netta McArthur (Pres.)
Helen Semmler (Sec.)
Lachlan Fitch
Pip Hay
Lily O’Neill
Greg Sparks (V.Pres.)
Eleanor Fletcher
Jane Ogilvie
Richard Ginsburg
Cr Amanda Stone
Alex Walker (Farm Manager) Farm Yarns is a quarterly publication from the Collingwood Children’s Farm (CCF). The CCF, a not-for-profit, educational small-holding city farm was established in 1979 as a “country experience for city folk”. The Farm is sited on the Abbotsford Precinct Heritage Farmlands, the oldest continually farmed land in Victoria (since 1838). The CCF is guided by a Committee of Management, elected annually. Cover photo - The Farm’s vintage horse-drawn seeder (image by Andrew Phillips)
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Farm Manager Managers Report Christmas is fast approaching and so I would firstly like to take the opportunity to wish everyone a happy and restful time with family and friends. Don’t forget the Farm will be open on Christmas Day for everyone’s enjoyment (plus someone needs to milk the cow, feed the animals and make sure the sheep don’t fight over their presents!).
Alex Walker been many positive successes to recognise and appreciate. With an increasing awareness that biomass going into landfill creates not only climatechanging methane but represents a wasted resource, we are also launching an exciting composting program in conjunction with the City
I would like to thank all our members and visitors for their patience as we continue to understand and develop the capacity for our new Reception to enhance your visit at the Farm. We have had a lot of positive feedback, which is appreciated. Our staff also deserve a big thank you for a great year’s work, especially for keeping the Farm as normal as possible during the past 12 months of our Building Program. In November we celebrated with her family and friends the life of one of our special “farm family”, Coyla Hegarty. For those who never had the opportunity to meet her, Coyla was one of life’s “straight shooters”, who would call the spade a spade. She was a passionate supporter, volunteer, Committee Treasurer and fighter for the Farm for many years. Coyla’s spirit and contribution to the Farm is now commemorated by the naming of our new Farm entry as “Coyla’s Gate”. In continuing our important work supporting positive outcomes for the long-term disadvantaged, there is a new JOBCO program commencing at the Farm, with eight workers per week learning a variety of skills. A warm welcome to you all! Our 2010-2011 Annual General Report is also available online for everyone to gain an overview of the Farm’s last 12 months. There have
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of Yarra and Cultivating Community. Details for participation can be found on page 11. On 17 October we hosted the Victorian launch of the 2012 Australian Year of the Farmer. As farmers with an almost 175-year heritage and guardians of the Abbotsford Precinct Heritage Farmlands, we are thrilled to be able to provide a Victorian base for some of next year’s events and to celebrate your Farm at a national level. Year of the Farmer happenings will be held throughout the year, so we will keep everyone informed as to what is occurring. Have a great holiday everyone! Below: 2012 Year of the Farmer launch day in the Barn
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Farm News I don’t think I’m allowed, in terms of politeness, to begin this without first commenting on the crazy weather. It’s wet and humid, so the grass is growing very fast. It feels like Sydney! The Young Farmers have built and been racing their billy cart. Once finished, it was “launched” with a day of dressing up - and some of the kid’s costumes were hilarious and wildly imaginative.
Bridget Bainbridge (like our milking cow Heather) and have been kindly lent to us by Mike and Rhonda Perry who are in the Ayreshire Cattle Club. We hope to be able to host two “exchange calves” every six months from the Perrys - two at the start of their calving season and two at the end. The Farm will then raise these hosted calves on our cow’s milk, and return them to the Perry’s to join their milking herd.
The first Chook Expo was held at the Farm and it was a great success. Designed to give practical information to first-time chicken keepers, and an understanding about rare breeds. Plenty of interested people attended and everyone learnt a lot from the wonderful Megg Miller and our staff member (and chicken expert) Nick. Many thanks to both of them for giving up their weekend and providing this educational experience for new poultry owners. Above: Ewe talkin’ to me?
We have two new calves! Their names are Kasey and Hope. They are both Ayreshires
We have also lent Mike our last Ayreshire calf
Below: Two new calves, too cute!
to be born on the Farm, Saturday, who when she is a little older will be joining his herd of milkers. Eventually when Heather retires, Saturday will return to us to become our new milking cow. We shore our sheep on November Family Day. Brian Harker came down all the way from Benalla with his wife, Helen, and between them they shore all the sheep. I was relieved to find none were too skinny, but a bit taken aback by the girth of some of them. Since being shorn they have been sorted into groups of “fat”, “skinny” and lambs - and put on appropriate pasture. It’s been a good year, and already I’m going to have to put some of the
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skinnies in with the fats, and possibly start a new group: insanely obese sheep. The Pig Yards are looking magnificent thanks to the work of the Sophia Mundi Steiner School Year 8’s and 9’s. This group come here weekly and so far have managed to build and finish two new “fields” for the pigs and planted them out. Currently we are working on putting in irrigation, so we can pipe water to each field as needed. This will ensure our pigs have access to good grazing for as much of the year as possible. We are also building a small portable chookhouse that can be moved from field to field, so that when the pigs have finished their destruction, the chickens can scratch it over so it’s a little easier to plant again for the next grazing regrowth cycle.
We also have a new team of workers down at the Farm who just started this week. The Green Team are a group of young people who will be working and training on the Farm, getting themselves TAFE qualifications and some on-ground work experience all at the same time. While they are doing this, we are hoping they will revolutionise parts of the riverbank too! They are already off to a great start with weeding, and building some massive tree guards. There a million tiny successes that happen at the Farm every day—thank you to everyone who generously contributes and supports the Farm so that these miracles can continue to occur for everyone to enjoy. Below: Goats posing in the Barn Paddock (image courtesy Kate Dwyer)
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3 PHOTOS (1-5) Young Farmers having a fun day on their Team Cow Racing (TCR) billycart. Look out Mark Webber!
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Photos courtesy Andrew Phillips
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Garden Tidings PLANT NEWS SPRING 2011 Thank you all the growing volunteers - what you see is what you get! The beauty of the Farm is all due to the beautiful people that make the gardens and growing landscapes. A huge thank you to all the volunteers: Gary, Joy, Monica, Graeme, Josh, Jen, Aneka, Megan, Steve, Tom, Kyoung, the two John’s, Colin, Terry, Chai, Jacqui, Phillipa, Mark, Caro, Rachel, Tanya, Theresa, Linda Annie , Kristy and (whew!) all the groups, schools and Farm pro-
Toni Phillips gram participants. All these hard-working people put a lot of energy into the garden; weeding, carting it off to the appropriate animals or compost piles, propagating, planting, pruning, mulching, watering and of course harvesting. Thanks also to all the poultry, pigs, goats, sheep, horses, donkey and cows for eating their veggies (otherwise known as weeds). Below: Gary “Gazza” making sure all the plants are watered
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cessions, on nuptial beds, in baths, on tables and dishes of delicious foods. They are also used in jams, sauces and jellies (eg Turkish Delight) or in making rosewater (a key ingredient in the Indian desert Gulab Jamun). Medicinally, rose hips (the fruit of a rose) are very high in easily absorbed Vitamin C. Rose hips have four times the amount of Vitamin C compared to blackberries and 20 times that of oranges! Rose hip tea is one of the most well known herbal teas, it is great for respiratory problems and can strengthen the immune system. It also has valuable positive effects on the function of our cardiovascular system; in particular it aids lowering cholesterol levels in blood.
Above: Magda (like most goats) loves taking time to stop and eat the roses
You can have your Roses and eat them too Roses in Melbourne are great in November so maybe that is why the first Tuesday is the day chosen for the Melbourne Cup. The public holiday is also a great day off to stop and smell the roses, a good example of how horse waste can be recycled as compost! Cupid once bribed Harpocrates, the God of Silence to keep the secrets of Venus intact, resulting in roses becoming the symbol of silence. The symbol of the rose was then used to adorn ceilings and conversations held under such ceilings were known to be “sub-rosa” and people were obliged by their honour not to divulge anything heard there. In language of flowers the rose signifies love. Rose petals are strewn in (often wedding) pro-
Early Summer In the veggie garden Time to plant nearly everything; root vegetables: beetroot, carrots, celeriac, potatoes, radish and swedes can all be directly planted into the garden or containers. Leafy greens: amaranth, celery, coriander, endive, parsley, lettuce, silver beet, chives, spring onions, shallots and leeks can all be planted as seedlings or directly. Remember that lettuce and coriander bolt very quickly if they dry out, and can be easier to maintain them in partly-shaded areas and spots that you access easily so you don’t forget to water them. European brassicas (brussell sprouts, cabbages) and Chinese cabbage can all be planted out now in full sun. Plant an area that is not prime gardening space, as you won’t you need to access them for harvest for months. Asian Brassicas (mizuna, mibuna, mitsuba, bok choy, choi sum) are great as salad greens and are best when harvested often - and so very suitable for small gardens and containers if you live in a flat or apartment. You can also plant vegetables such as beans, capsicum, chilli, corn, cucumber, eggplant, pumpkin, squash, tomato and zucchini - all require full sun.
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3 PHOTOS 1 Chicken Expo chats 2 Hope and Kasey tuck into their bottles! 3 Joe the Pony hoping for a snack 4 Ewe 501 resting after being shorn ... need a pillow 501?
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Farm Discovery - Your Story Sage advice from a “retired farmer” Response to our first Farm Discovery story was very positive, so it’s exciting to continue our new series with an article by a former Farm Volunteer, Alan Attwood. Alan was a regular Friday afternoon volunteer for a couple of years before leaving become Editor of “The Big Issue” in late 2006. He has also had a long and successful journalism career, including at The Age as its New York correspondent. “The Big Issue” magazine aims to provide an innovative, dignified business enterprise for individuals to support themselves by purchasing it for re-sale and then keeping the profits. It exemplifies the positive “hand up, not handout” approach to social engagement for the homeless. Vendors are found throughout Melbourne and Issue 394 is available now, please support your local vendor by purchasing it.
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Weeding can get tedious (sorry Toni). Especially if you are not weeding your own garden. It is not always a good idea to combine work-life with farm-work. I realised this when taking a Very Important Call in a paddock. There was a long pause before the prospective employer asked: “Why can I hear sheep?” It is a good idea to change clothes, including boots, after stomping around in odoriferous fields. And preferably before heading off to sit in enclosed spaces with people who may frown, look worried and start sniffing suspiciously. When assuming a custodial role with a farm visitor (Hello Paul!) it is inevitable that one may become an accomplice in (minor) crime: “Have you been knocking off coffee again?” “No, Alan, no, no. Not me.” “But there’s a great big coffee-ring all around your mouth.” “Really? Is there?” “Here. Stand still while I try to wipe it off … and, no, I won’t tell anyone.” (Hello Julia!)
Above: Alan Atwood, Editor The Big Issue
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Not everyone is always as excited about farm events as you may expect. A text message reporting I AM MILKING A COW!!! can elicit the response: Huh????? 6 In the interest of complete honesty (Hello Nick!) I should add: I was milking the cow very badly. 7 Sometimes, shovelling shit can be strangely soothing. Who would have thought a hunt for cowpats could be so therapeutic? 8 When the suspicion arises that an unabashed enthusiasm for seasonal bonfires may denote latent pyromania (Hello Andrew!) it is best to keep this thought to yourself. 9 Some of the other volunteers can be cute. But don’t tell my wife (Hello Kerry!) I said so. 10 It may be time to get out a bit more when geese agreeing to go inside their house of an evening, as requested, gives you a power trip. They know who’s boss… 11 Goats really do eat anything. 12 Friday afternoons will never be the same.
Community Composting Initiative Collingwood Children’s Farm has entered into a partnership with Yarra City Council and Cultivating Community to establish a Community Composting Centre onsite to assist in diverting waste from landfill. Working with our existing systems we’ll be enhancing our composting facilities and space to compost up to one tonne of food waste per week. The worm farm and compost piles will be redesigned and re-built early in 2012 to accommodate this. The Compost Centre will be specifically made available for local cafes and some residents to compost their food waste. Each resident will need to apply to become part of this project in early 2012.
Alan Attwood, retired farmer To view the site designs and provide feedback for the compost systems contact Pete Huff from Cultivating Community at: pete@cultivatingcommunity.org.au (or telephone 9429 3084). In addition to the Compost Centre, this same partnership is recruiting 100 residents living in or close to Abbotsford to compost their food waste at home. Going by the name of Compost Crew this program will provide subsidised compost systems, free workshops and educational resources. For more information, come to our information session on the 19 November, 12:00pm-2:00pm, Gahan Reserve, Abbotsford (Melways Ref. 2C J9). To apply for the Compost Crew program visit: www.yarracity.vic.gov.au/compost -crew or contact Hannah Moloney from Cultivating Community at: hannah@cultivatingcommunity.org.au (or telephone 9429 3084). Above: Fire-twirler, 2011 Winter Solstice Bonfire
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Farmland History The history of the local farmland (Pt. 3) On a Summer’s day in January 1876, the Sisters of the Good Shepherd nervously awaited the arrival of a visitor to the Abbotsford Convent. Nervous because they didn’t know what to expect from their guest. The visitor was John Stanley James, otherwise known as “The Vagabond”, writing under this pseudonym for the Melbourne Argus. James had recently written a series of inflammatory and scandalous articles on the condition of Melbourne lodging-houses and medical institutions. The Sisters would have been concerned that their works at the Convent may have been reported upon in a similar fashion, so had taken the precautionary step of inviting John Stanley James for a formal visit. John Stanley James was a journalist, railway worker and self-professed spy (during the Franco-Prussian War). Today we might consider John Stanley James as a bit of a showman and raconteur, highly capable of selfpromotion and with a tendency to embellish in order to achieve a grander outcome than the truth might reveal. James’ Argus articles were eventually re-published (with a degree of commercial success) as “The Vagabond Papers” in late 1877.
Andrew Phillips
“Out of this there is the farm-yard, where we find, in the stalls, a dozen patient kine, being milked by a Sister ... who has charge of this department. In the styes (sic) we see some fine black Berkshire pigs; and a brown retriever, which welcomes us. Near here are the cottages of the gardeners ... three gardeners ... have all been in the Convent service for some years. The Reverend Mother and Sister – kindly walk with me around the pleasant gardens, which are chiefly devoted to the culture of useful vegetables. A quantity of lucerne and maize is also grown for the cattle. Here there are some fine mulberry trees, the luscious fruit of which is ... for jam-making purposes ... I have no doubt capital jam is made in Abbotsford”.
Berkshire Pigs continue to be farmed to this day on the Abbotsford Precinct Heritage Farmlands (the APHF), preserving both the important genetic diversity of our food sources and honouring the Sister’s 112-year guardianship and tenure as farmers of the APHF.
During his visit, James was shown (along with the Laundry and Magdalen Asylum) the orchards, ornamental and vegetable gardens, fields, piggery, cowhouse and manure depot. Whatever their initial misgivings, the Sisters need not have been worried. James reported positively on the Convent and its activities, praising the work of the nuns and the conditions provided for the female residents and children. The farming activities of the Abbotsford Convent were detailed as follows:
Above: An 1875 picture of “Abbotsford House”, where the Sisters of the Good Shepherd first stayed in June 1863.
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Congratulations Leonie! Double congratulations to Leonie, one of our long-term staff, who recently became Mrs Proudfoot - we wish both Leonie and Graham all the best for their married future together. Also, Leonie had one of her fantastic photographs published in the Autumn 2011 “Practical Pigs” Magazine from the UK. So a big well done Leonie on both counts!
DONATION TO THE COLLINGWOOD CHILDREN’S FARM Purchase a hay-bale for the animals! As a not-for-profit organisation, the Farm welcomes donations to meet our running costs. And our animals eat a lot! Please support the Farm by directly purchasing food for the animals (donations over $2 are tax deductable*).
Yes, I would like to support the Farm by purchasing: Qty
Total
x Lucerne Hay Bale
$
Name: Address:
(@$14 p/bale)
P/Code: Please charge my Visa or Mastercard
or x Lucerne Hay Chaff $ (@$21 p/bag)
State:
Card No.: Cheque enclosed
I would like a tax receipt please (note: cheques should be made payable to Collingwood Children’s Farm, PO Box 80, Abbotsford, 3067) * - a receipt is required by the Australian Tax Office for donation claims
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Exp:
/
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Animal Information
Andrew Phillips
Do sheep dream of electric androids? It’s often thought that sheep are generally stupid and somewhat lacking in intelligence due to their tendency to make decisions as a group rather than as individuals. However, both scientific study and anecdotal evidence continues to reveal that sheep are capable of not only recognising and remembering each other (possibly up to 50 individuals), but familiar humans (and they prefer a happy human face to an angry one), other animals, plus are capable of remembering locations and solving basic maze puzzles! A ewe can identify her individual lamb(s) from a flock through having excellent olofactory memory - and reject a lamb if she doesn’t smell the correct pheromones. So not my child, no milk! This important bonding process which leads to a ewe’s “smell memory” takes up to 24 hours. This is one reason why at the Farm we give our ewes and their new lambs quiet time for bonding during the start of each lambing season. References Dennis, Jake - www.sciencewa.net.au, 30 September 2011 Graham, Sarah - Scientific American, 9 November 2001 Sampson, Alex - Weekly Times, 26 & 28 October 2011
Below, right: Hey, I remember ewe … and ewe!
COLLINGWOOD CHILDREN’S FARM
Collingwood Children’s Farm PO Box 80 Abbotsford 3067
PLACE STAMP HERE
Farm phone: 9417 5806 Email: enquiry@farm.org.au Website: www.farm.org.au
Family Fun Days First Sunday of the month (no Family Fun Day in January)
Also enjoy hay rides and pony rides (when available), and other farm activities all for price of standard entry.
Farmer’s Market
Where to find us St Heliers Street, Abbotsford Melways Ref 44 G5
The the concept of aSaturday supported held second volunteer program is unique to ofour every month for beautifarm. Originally it was ful fresh, produce. known asquality the Disability Program, but we prefer to focus on abilities rather than the lack of them … just like the renamed RDA riding program! You may ask why the program exists and what are the benefits of it to the participants and the farm.
Open every day of the year Entry: $16 Family $8 Adult $4 Child
In the case of special school students, in class groups A VFMA both accredited market